Car-coupling



lJNrTnn STATES viiaTnNT @Tricia ROSCOE ALLEN MERROW, OF FARMINGTON, MAINE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,152, dated June 16,1885.

Application filed September 30, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

De it known that I, ROSOOE ALLEN MER- ROW, of Farmington, in the county of Franklin and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Car-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The objects of my invention are to provide for coupling cars automatically as they come together, and for uncoupling the cars from their tops or from the ground at either side without requiring the trainmen to go between the cars and expose themselves to injury, and also to promote durability of the cars and couplings by relieving the shocks incident to coupling or uncoupling, or in traffic over the road.

The invention consists in particular constructions and combinations ot' parts of the car-couplings, including an arrangement of the opposite draw-heads of the same car to slide endwise and against buffer-springs, and connected by a draw-bar, and an arrangement of bilder-springs behind the opposite heads of the draw-bar, whereby the coupling-bar, draw heads, and cars will be relieved of breaking shocks or strains in coupling or while on the road. The invention comprises also a contrivance of an uncoupling-frame an d levers to uncouple the cars from their top or from either side, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a broken side elevation of parts of a box or freight car, showing the drawheads or couplings at opposite ends of the car and one ol" the couplings in longitudinal sectional elevation. Fig. 2 is an end view of the car and coupling with the coupling-bar in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the coupling-bar drawn to alarger scale; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line x x, Fig. l, with the parts in larger size.

My improved couplings may be applied to railway passenger-cars or to platform freightcars, but I represent it in connection with an ordinary box freight-car.

The draw-heads A ofthe couplings are supported so as to have a limited endwise movement beneath the car-body B, by the strong strap-irons C, which are bolted at cto the carbody or frame, and behind each draw-head is fixed to the car-body the timber or metal plate D, which may be the inner end of a case, A3, in which the draw-head A slides.

E is' the draw bar or rod which passes through apertures d a in the plate D and the end of the draw-head, respectively, and has a head, e, which loosely fits the rear chamber or recess, F, of the draw-head, between which head e and the end wall of the draw-head is placed on the draw-bar E the spring G, which may be compressed by the coupling-bar H as it enters the chamber F in coupling the cars, as hereinafter more fully explained.

Behind the back end of the draw-head A and between it and the iixed plate D, is placed on the draw-bar E the heavy spring I, which acts as a butter to the back movement of the draw-head as the cars come together for coupling.

The draw-heads A A at the opposite ends of the car are counterparts of each other, and have like arrangements of buffer-springs G I, as above described, and I extend the drawbar, having a head, e, at each end, from one draw-head to the other.

The draw-bar E may, of course, be a continuous bar; but I prefer to make it in two parts or sections having right-and-left or reverse screw-threads e on their inner or adjacent ends to enter the threaded nutsjyl of a turn-buckle, J, which construction allows the opposite heads e e of the draw-bar E to be forged or welded solidly to the bar, and also permits longitudinal or lengthwise adjustment of the draw-bar to secure its best action in both draw -heads with relation to the opposite springs G and the coupling -bar II entering either of the draw-heads, and also allows the more easy connection of the draw-bar to the draw-heads and of the draw-heads to the car.

I make the draw-head A in two parts or sections, A A2, joined horizontally on the line a', and connected to each other by bolts a, or in any other approved way.

The sectional construction of the draw-head makes it easier in casting it to form the rear chamber, F, the front bell-mouthed recess or cavity, K, and the stud' or horn L, which stud projects upward from the door of cham- IOO ber F, so as to be engaged by the shoulder h of the tapering head H of the coupling-bar H, to effect the coupling of the cars.

A spring, M, fastened at m to the draw-head, presses the coupling-bar-H down to hold or lock its head H behind the stud L, as shown in Fig. I, and also serves to hold the projecting end of the coupling-bar up to enter the opposing draw-head. The free end of the spring is turned up, so as not to catch on the head of the coupling-bar as it enters and leaves the draw-head.

The side walls of the recess .K converge backward to the throatZ above the stud L to guide the head ofthe coupling-bar to and through said throat Z should the entering coupling-bar standat a greater or less angle up or down or to either side, thereby insur-` ing the automatic coupling as they come together of cars whose draw-heads stand at different' heights or out of line sidewise with each other, and as the head H of the coupling-bar enters the chamber F it strikes the head e of the draw-bar E, which yields with the spring G to cushion the blow and prevent bending or breaking of the coupling-bar.

For uncoupling the cars I provide a U- shaped frame, N, which is passed by its side arms, n n, up through the part A' of the drawhead and has a lower cross-bar, n', which comes below the head H of the' coupling-bar H when the frame N hangs by its upper crosspiece, O, from the top of the draw-head. (See Fig. 4.-.) I prefer tozihold the cross-piece O to the frame N by nuts o, screwed on the ends of the arms a n above the cross-piece, as shown.

To the cross-piece O (or frame N) is connected at p the rod or bar P, which is guided in staples or eyes Q fixed to the car-body and extends to the top of the car,from which point the frame N may be lifted by drawing up the rod P to carry the coupling-bar head H by the .cross-bar a above the stud or projection L and against the tension of the spring M to allow the cars to be drawn apart.

To provide for uncoupling the cars by trainmen standing on the ground at either side of the car, I pivot on a pin, r, fixed to the rod P, the lever R, the opposite arms of which extend toward either side of the car and pass through long keepers or staples S S, outside of which the lever R carries the fixed handles T T, which project about at right angles from the lever, so as conveniently to be reached from the side of the car, said handles T being entirely within the plane of the sides of the car, and so as to be guarded from injury by contact with any object when the car is moving on the road or by moving objects when the car is at rest.

It is evident that by lifting either side handle, T, the lever R will take its fulcrum at the opposite end in the keeper S, as in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the ro'd P will be lifted to raise the frame N, and lift the bar H to uncouple the cars, and the rod 0 or lever R of either car may be operated to release either end or head of the coupling-bar.

By the use of my improvement the cars couple automatically as they come together, and may be uncoupled either from their tops or from either side, and without requiring the trainmen to go between them and expose themselves to injury.

It is obvious that when cars are vcoupled by my improved couplings the draw-heads A,

draw-bars E, and coupling-bars H form a continuous yielding connection throughout the whole train, to prevent damage to the cars or couplings by shocks in starting ahead, stopping, or backing, thus insuring the durability i of the cars and couplings.. I

Holes at V in the forward ends of the drawheads A permit the passage of a pin through an ordinary link to couple on another car by the common link-and-pin devices, in which case the coupling-bar H will be held in a box or by suitable brackets or catches to the end of the car. It is desirable at times to prevent the coupling of cars as they come together, as when shunting the cars about the yard or onto sidings, and to accomplish this I provide a p'rojection, W, having a square lower shoulder, which may be drawn through the staple. Q when the rod P is lifted and set on top of the staple, as in dotted lines in Fig. 2, to hold the uncoupling-frame bar n up about at the top of the stud or horn L, and for like purpose pins X may be held by chains or cords to the keepers S or to the car-body, so as to be at hand ready to pass into holes Y of the carbody and below lifted lever R. The rounded shape of the lifted cross-bar fn prevents catching of the shoulder h of the coupling-barV on the horn L as the coupling-bar enters or leaves the draw-head, as will readily be understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In car-couplings, the draw-head A, made with a front opening, K, having a throat, Z, a stud, L, and a rear chamber, F, in combination with the coupling-bar H, having tapering heads H and shoulders h, and a spring, M, for locking the heads H to the stud L, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In car-couplings, the combination, With the draw-head A, having a stud, L, the headed draw-bar H, pressed on the stud by a spring,

and the uncoupling-frarne N, of the rod P, eX

tended to the top of the car, and the lever R, pivoted on the rod P and extending to and supported at the side parts of the end of the car, substantially as herein set forth.

ROSGOE ALLEN MERROVV.

Y Witnesses:

GEO. W. MERRow, IDA H. MERRow.

IOO

IIS 

